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THE YORK POTASH HARBOUR FACILITIES

ORDER 201X

Project Position Statement

Regulation Number: 5(2)(q)

Document Ref: 7.3

Author: Marrons Shakespeares

Date: March 2015

Status: Submission

The York Potash Harbour Facilities Order 201X

Project Position Statement Document 7.3

March 2015

THE YORK POTASH HARBOUR FACILITIES ORDER 201X

PROJECT POSITION STATEMENT

MARCH 2015

Regulation 5(2)(q) Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009

DOCUMENT 7.3

1 Meridian South

Meridian Business Park Leicester LE19 1WY



March 2015

PROJECT POSITION STATEMENT

Contents 1. Introduction

1

2. Mine/Mineral Transport System

2

3. Materials Handling Facility

4

4. Temporary Park & Ride and Construction Village

5

5. Operations Park & Ride

5

6. Offshore Marine Licence

5



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1. Introduction

1.1 This statement accompanies an application for a development

consent order (“the Application”) submitted on behalf of York

Potash Limited (“the Applicant”). The Application seeks approval

of the York Potash Harbour Facilities Order 201X (“the DCO”).

1.2 The proposed harbour forms part of the overall York Potash

Project (“the Project”) which involves the creation of a mine for

the winning and working of polyhalite together with the

necessary infrastructure required for the subsequent distribution

of the mineral.

1.3 This statement sets out the position of each element of the

Project at the time of submission of the Application. The

appendices to this statement are listed at the end of this

statement.

1.4 The Project principally comprises the following:

a) The mine (with a minehead to be located at Doves Nest

Farm near Whitby).

b) A mineral transport system (MTS), being a tunnel

(approximately 36.7km in length) with conveyor to

transport the polyhalite from the mine to the materials

handling facility at Wilton.

c) A materials handling facility at Wilton.

d) A harbour facility at Bran Sands, Teesside linked to the

materials handling facility by a conveyor system.

1.5 Additionally, there are two proposed park & ride facilities as

follows:



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a) A temporary park & ride facility to transport construction

workers to the mine and MTS construction sites. The

option to provide a construction worker village at the site

is also provided for; and

b) A mine operations park & ride facility, west of Whitby.

1.6 The mineral will be mined, crushed, loaded onto hoppers at the

minehead and transported by the mineral transport system to

Wilton. The mineral will then pass through a materials handling

facility (for granulation and storage) in preparation for onward

distribution via the proposed new harbour facilities.

1.7 Further detail relating to the background of the York Potash

Project is contained in the Planning Statement relating to the

DCO Application (Document 7.1).

2. Mine/Mineral Transport System

2.1 The elements of the Project referred to at 1.4 (a) and (b) above

are the subject of a single, cross-boundary, planning application

which was submitted to the North York Moors National Park

Authority (“NYMNPA”) and Redcar and Cleveland Borough

Council (“RCBC”) on 30 September 2014. The application

awaits determination.

2.2 The application is for “the winning and working of polyhalite by

underground methods including the construction of a mine-head

at Dove’s Nest Farm involving access, maintenance and

ventilation shafts, the land-forming of associated spoil, the

construction of buildings, access roads, car parking and

helicopter landing site, attenuation ponds, landscaping,

restoration and aftercare and associated works. In addition, the

construction of an underground tunnel between Dove’s Nest



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Farm and land at Wilton that links to the mine below ground,

comprising 1 No. shaft at Dove’s Nest Farm, 3 No. intermediate

access shaft sites, each with associated landforming of

associated spoil, the construction of buildings, access roads and

car parking, landscaping, restoration and aftercare, and the

construction of a tunnel portal at Wilton comprising buildings,

landforming of spoil and associated works”.

2.3 The NYMNPA application was registered on 9 October 2014 and

allocated application reference number NYM/2014/0676/MEIA

and the RCBC application was registered on 30 September

2014 and allocated reference number R/2014/0627/FFM.

2.4 An extension of time for determination of the application has

been agreed with the NYMNPA. Supplementary Environmental

Information (SEI) was submitted to the NYMNPA and RCBC for

the mine/MTS application in February 2015. The SEI considers

the environmental implications of changes resulting from the

evolution of the design of the mine surface development at

Doves Nest Farm and the MTS intermediate shaft sites.

2.5 The following documentation submitted in support of the

mine/MTS application is appended to this statement:

a) The Planning Statement (Appendix 1).

b) The Major Development Test Planning Statement

(Appendix 2).

c) The Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) (Appendix

3). This report provided the Applicants’ HRA for the

Project at the time of the submission of the mine/MTS

application. The HRA submitted with the DCO Application

(Document 6.3) supersedes that HRA in respect of this

Application.



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d) The Economic Impact Report which relates to all

elements of the York Potash Project (Appendix 4).

e) The Alternative Sites Assessment (Appendix 7).

2.6 The SEI for the mine/MTS application included assessment of

the potential impacts of the changes to the scheme design on

emissions to air and, consequently, ecology. Specifically, at

Dove’s Nest Farm, emission of ventilation air is now proposed to

be via the MTS shaft rather than via a dedicated ventilation shaft

from the mine. In addition, mitigation options at the mine surface

development site and MTS intermediate shaft sites to reduce

emissions from the operation of the diesel generators during the

construction phase of the project were investigated further,

leading to additional assessment and verification. New

ecological receptor locations within Ugglebarnby Moor were also

included in the assessment at the request of Natural England.

2.7 The findings of the Habitats Regulations Assessment referred to

in paragraph 2.5 c) above (specifically the implications of the

Project for the North York Moors Special Area of Conservation

(SAC)) were re-evaluated (in the SEI) in light of the additional air

quality and ecological assessment. The ES for the mine/MTS

application and the SEI can be viewed on the websites of

NYMNPA and RCBC.

3. Materials Handling Facility

3.1 An application for “a mineral (polyhalite) granulation and storage

facility at Wilton International Complex on Teesside involving the

construction of buildings, conveyor systems, substations, water

treatment plant, internal access roads, car parking, attenuation

ponds, landscaping, restoration and aftercare, and the

construction of a tunnel portal, including the landforming of spoil

and associated works” was submitted to Redcar and Cleveland



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Borough Council on 30 September 2014 and registered on 30

September 2014 with reference number R/2014/0626/FFM. The

application awaits determination.

3.2 The Planning Statement relating to that application is contained

at Appendix 5.

4. Temporary Park & Ride and Construction Village

4.1 An application for a temporary Park & Ride facility and a

construction village (the latter being optional) on land to the

south of Stainsacre Lane to the south east of Whitby for use by

the mine construction workers, was submitted in January 2015.

The application awaits determination.

5. Operations Park & Ride

5.1 This is known as the “Cross Butts Park & Ride” and is the

subject of a planning application submitted to the NYMNPA by

North Yorkshire County Council in December 2014. This

application seeks permission to extend the existing Park & Ride

facility and to allow 24 hour access to the new parking spaces to

be used in connection with the mine site. The application awaits

determination.

6. Offshore Marine Licence

6.1 A licence for offshore mineral extraction was granted to the

Applicant by the Marine Management Organisation on behalf of

the Secretary of State in January 2013 under Part 4 of the

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (licence number

L/2013/00027). The licence commences on 1 January 2017 and

is valid until 1 January 2037. A copy of the licence is contained

at Appendix 6.

6.2 The area permitted to be extracted under the licence extends



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the area identified for onshore extraction in the mine/MTS

application into the North Sea.



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APPENDICES

1. Appendix 1: Planning Statement relating to the Mine/MTS application;

2. Appendix 2:

a. Major Development Test Planning Statement relating to the

Mine/MTS application;

b. Appendices to Major Development Test Planning Statement relating

to the Mine/MTS application;

3. Appendix 3: Habitats Regulation Assessment submitted with mine/MTS

application;

4. Appendix 4: Economic Impact Report relating to the whole Project;

5. Appendix 5: Planning Statement relating to the MHF application; and

6. Appendix 6: Marine Licence for offshore extraction.

7. Appendix 7: Alternative Sites Assessment relating to the mine/MTS

application

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